BEREA, Ohio -- Browns CEO Joe Banner knew he would incur the wrath of some fans and media for hiring Mike Lombardi as his top personnel lieutenant, but he braced himself for the backlash and forged ahead.

After all, the man is trying to win football games here, not a popularity contest.

"Listen, I understand that I'm going out on the limb myself by hiring Mike, so I didn't do this casually," said Banner. "I spent a lot of time talking to him about everything that matters before I put him in front of [owner] Jimmy [Haslam] or [coach Rob Chudzinski].

"Time will tell if it's right or wrong, but I made [the choice] confidently and with my eyes open about the perceptions, about the realities, about my own time I spent with him. I feel comfortable with it."

Banner, who worked with Lombardi in Philadelphia in 1997 and '98 and ran a highly successful draft with him in 1998, is confident Lombardi -- named the Browns vice president of player personnel Friday -- is a better man now.

"There's no question he's changed," said Banner. "First, he's very introspective, and I don't know if I would've used that word 15 years ago. His sense of self and his awareness of self is dramatically different than it was.

"Like too many of us, you don't fully appreciate something until you lose it. I think he took for granted his time and opportunity in the NFL and then he lost it. I think that was a wake-up call. To be honest, I think he learned from some hard experiences he had with people he worked with. I think he's grown a lot from that."

Lombardi, who was former Browns coach Bill Belichick's right-hand man on the personnel side from 1991 to '95, said he has grown personally and professionally from when he was here, first as a scout, then as pro personnel director and then as director of player personnel.

"If I was the same guy that was here 20 years ago, I would say that Jimmy and Joe shouldn't have hired me, but you have to change and you have to grow intellectually, personally," said Lombardi. "I'm going to be 54. As you get older, you get more comfortable in your own skin. I think you end up deciding that perhaps your principles are more important than your ambition."

More on Lombardi

The Browns issued a news release on some statements from others about the hiring of Browns Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Lombardi.

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano: “I have known Mike for a long time. He is a football man through and through. He knows the game and personnel. I know he is back doing what he loves to do and will be a tremendous asset to the Browns organization. They got a good man. I am excited for Mike and his family and wish him well as he embarks on this new journey.”

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz: “Michael is one of the hardest working people I've ever met in the NFL. He has an encyclopedia-type knowledge of NFL and college personnel and can speak on any player in the league without looking at notes. I first worked with Michael in Cleveland from 1993-95. Along with Coach (Bill) Belichick, Michael developed a system of evaluating and developing players that is still used by a number of teams. Michael has also shown a commitment in continuing to develop and improve that system over the years. I have confidence that Michael will be an important part of the management team that will make the Browns a winner.”

Former NFL quarterback and current TV analyst Rich Gannon: “Going back to when we were together in Oakland, there was a handful of people in that building that I thought were really ultimately responsible for our success. We won AFC West titles, went to AFC Championship games and to the Super Bowl, and one of those guys was Mike Lombardi. He was a guy that I really relied on, really leaned on. I was always kind of drawn to him out on the practice field or in the building. I would ask him a lot of questions. He was great at advanced scouting and giving me a breakdown of the upcoming opponent, what the issues were, what the concerns, what our strengths would be against some of their weaknesses and things like that. He’s always been a football guy. Even when Mike left the business and started doing television, he never really got away from evaluating talent. He was always watching tape, he was always studying film and he was always studying teams.”

Former NFL defensive back and current TV analyst Mike Mayock: “From my perspective, what stands out most about Michael is his intelligence. Regardless of the endeavor he has been involved with, he has always shown a high level of intelligence and intuitiveness about his project. Secondly, I think there is a process with Mike – he defines it and then he follows through on it. I think that is really important in the overall evaluation of rookies and pros at whatever level in football. Finally, at his core I think he is a true evaluator. That is what that position demands more than anything – somebody that can evaluate at the college level, at the pro level, at the free agent level and integrate all of those facets into one comprehensive program. I think Mike Lombardi can do all of that.”

Some fans and media still associate Lombardi with the darkest period in Browns history, when news broke in 1995 that Art Modell was moving the team to Baltimore. The move was preceded by the unpopular decision by Belichick and Lombardi to cut icon Bernie Kosar in 1993. From the moment Lombardi's name was mentioned months ago as a possible successor to Tom Heckert, many fans and some media members have been outraged.

"I understand criticism," he said. "I have no problem with it. I understand the sense of where you're going from, but I just ask that we start clear, and if I make mistakes or you think I'm making mistakes, I have no problem with it. I'm just asking for a fair and honest chance to move forward."

Lombardi was quick to note that Kosar, whom so many still blame him for cutting, was one of the first people to call and congratulate him on Friday.

Lombardi is still in close contact with Belichick, and often helps him scout and evaluate players for the Patriots. He said they often discuss their days in Cleveland and the staff they assembled, including Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome, Alabama coach Nick Saban, Lions coach Jim Schwartz and others who have gone on to success in the NFL and college. He points out that they went 11-5 in 1994, the year before "the move" news hit.

"We had a good thing going, let me say just that," he said. "We thought we made some strides. With Nick Saban and Bill Belichick and all the people we had in here, it was a great think tank. It was a great culture to be in."

Lombardi and Belichick never found the right opportunity to work together again after they left here, but Lombardi's son, Mick, works for the Patriots as a scouting assistant, and Belichick still counts Lombardi among his closest confidantes.

"The foundation of our program in New England had its roots in Cleveland," said Belichick in a statement provided by the Browns. "Mike was instrumental in setting up the personnel structure of that program, which is the basis for our current system. Mike is one of the brightest football minds I have ever worked with. He has a strong understanding of every aspect of the game and the process of putting a team together."

Lombardi, who spent the past five years as an analyst for NFL Network, never envisioned returning to Cleveland after that surreal day in 1995, "but my heart was broken when I left, I'll tell you. It was very difficult."

Haslam said he was never concerned about the public perception of Lombardi and that some of the most respected men in the NFL told him, "If you can get Mike Lombardi to be your general manager, you should hire him immediately."

Banner said what differentiated Lombardi was "the idea of building teams versus picking players. There are a lot of teams in the league that pick players and don't really have a clear understanding of the difference between doing that and assembling a team where people complement each other."

Banner harkened back to the 1998 draft that he ran with Lombardi in Philadelphia, one that produced four Pro Bowlers and the core of a team that went to four NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl.

"If you broke it down, it was one of the best drafts you've seen anybody have," said Banner. Among the players selected by the Eagles in that draft were offensive tackle Tra Thomas and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.

Banner said Lombardi will be part of a collaboration on key decisions that will include Banner, Chudzinski and Haslam.

"I've got a long learning curve, but I'm ready to work," he said. "I've been resting for five years. I've had enough makeup on. I'm ready to go."

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